Donald Page

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex)ORANGE - Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) today endorsed Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., for mayor in this city in search of a leader in the aftermath of Mims Hackett’s fall.

"Eldridge Hawkins has the right combination of talent and experience to lead Orange in a new direction," said Codey, who served with the candidate’s father, Eldridge Hawkins, in the General Assembly in the early 1970s.

"Eldridge will bring new ideas, extraordinary competence, and leadership in law enforcement, business management and education to the government of Orange," Codey said. "Eldridge Hawkins is a law enforcement expert who has a sensible plan to make Orange safer. Eldridge is a businessman who understands how to create tight budgets, staff City Hall with seasoned professional managers, attract new tax-paying businesses and hold the line on rising property taxes."

The candidates running for mayor in Orange are schedule toOrange Councilman Donald Page participate in a forum Thursday sponsored by the Rev. Reginald Jackson at St. Matthew’s AME Church.

Local clergy members will pose questions to the six invited candidates at the event, which begins at 7 p.m.

At-Large Councilman Donald Page plans to attend the forum.

"It’s a legitimate debate," said Page spokesman Michael Vieira.

Downtown Orange 

ORANGE - Five candidates for mayor not named Mims Hackett participated in a Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) forum at the Appian Way Restaurant here today in front of a crowd of 150 people.

"For a long time these elections have been Hackett against who?" said community activist Nicole Williams, referring to the mayor who ran Orange for 12 years before opting not to pursue re-election amid an imbroglio of federal corruption charges brought against him and ten other elected officials in a statewide sting last year.

"This forum at the very least lets us know we have a choice," Williams said.

Dwight HolmesORANGE - Dwight Holmes remembers the pride he felt playing football and running track for Orange High School. As mayor he would like to help restore that pride to a city reeling from scandal.

"I want Orange pride back in Orange," said the candidate. "When I was a kid it meant a lot to say you were an Orange Tornado."

His life-long history in Orange is important to the mayoral candidate. Forty-seven years old, he says he still holds the city schools' record for the 100-yard dash at 9.6 seconds.

 "Having a mayor who's actually from the town, that's something Orange hasn't had in a long time if ever," said Holmes. "I have a stake in this city. I've purchased a home. I plan on being here awhile."

ORANGE – At-large Councilman Donald Page recently received an e-mail about an upcoming mayoral candidates’ forum from one of the event’s organizers letting his campaign know where and when the event was being held.

The problem is that the woman who sent the message is also working for one of his opponents in the mayor’s race.

Now Page wants to meet with former Councilman Ben Jones this weekend to hammer out the details of the forum sponsored by Jones' group, Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG).

In a battle to succeed Orange Mayor Mims HOrange Councilman Donald Pageackett, mayoral candidate Donald Page formally introduced his three council running mates at a reception in Verona last night.

"My friends – it is time for ‘A New Beginning,’" Page, an at-large councilman, told an audience at the Richfield Regency. "It is time to put an end to politics as usual. It is time to put an end to a city government that only works for special interests and political friends. It is time to do something about property taxes. It is time do something about crime."

The candidate, who last November announced his intentions to run for mayor, last night welcomed Rayfield Morton, Antoine "Tony" Desormes and Andrea Elliot as his running mates.

Orange Councilman Donald PageSenate President Richard Codey’s Obama endorsement on Thursday brought out the City of Orange’s two main rivals to succeed Mayor Mims Hackett: Councilman Donald Page and Eldridge Hawkins, Jr.

Son of former Assemblyman Eldridge Hawkins, who was Codey’s running mate in the 1970s, Hawkins said he had attended the event on invitations from Codey and Orange Councilman Hassan Abdul-Rasheed.

"The fact that you can have two mayoral opponents on the same stage is a testament to how Obama transcends local politics," said Hawkins. "I’m running for mayor on a theme of unification for a better Orange, in a similar spirit as Obama’s theme of uniting the country."

Former Assemblyman Eldridge Hawkins, Orange Mayoral candidate Eldridge Hawkins Jr., and Linda Cofer Hawkins on Saturday

Promising good government and economic progress to a city plagued by bloated municipal budgets, gangs, a ghost town economy and charges of political corruption, Eldridge Hawkins Jr., entered the race for mayor of Orange at the Elk’s Lodge on Saturday with the strength of his family name behind him.

Son of his namesake, the former state Assemblyman and respected civil rights attorney who was in attendance, Hawkins reminded a small crowd of supporters that Orange was once a thriving industrial city made up of 34 hat-making factories, including the F. Berg Hat Manufacturing Company Complex.

"Today, these same buildings are nothing more than rundown relics of what once was," said the 28-year old West Orange patrolman and realtor associate. "Such images can no longer exist in our town. For too long we have sat by and watched our city deteriorate and its progress be paralyzed by politicians and citizens that were unable to put their feelings, personal agendas and differences aside for the good of the city."

Orange Mayor Mims HackettOrange Mayor Mims Hackett appeared in council chambers, among the first public officials to arrive, smiling broadly at the young baseball players and haggard clutch of City Hall gadflies alike.

"Happy New Year," he said, and proceeded to wade into the small crowd with a polished politician’s outstretched hand. A month away from standing trial to answer to corruption charges and already deposed from his office as 27th district assemblyman, Hackett carried no aura of the disgraced Roman senator on Wednesday evening. He was all dapper southern sweetness and light.

More bundled bodies floated in from the cold and by now Hackett was at the front of the room.

There would be a special presentation of the recreation league baseball team and the mayor smiled with the news and straightened in his chair. "These talented youngsters are an inspiration to everyone," he beamed, and proceeded to slowly read a full roster of the team’s players.

Some prominent Essex County Democrats will do battle on the Feb. 5th primary ballot to represent their presidential candidates at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver. But their names won't be at the top of the ticket, and outright victory or loss hinges on three people named Clinton, Edwards or Obama.

In the 14th delegate district, which is composed of the 26th and 27th legislative districts, Sen. Hillary Clinton’s team of candidates consists of Orange Rev. (and Clinton Campaign fundraising Co-Chair) Reginald Jackson, Essex County Freeholder Pat Sebold, Essex County Executive Chief of Staff Phil Alagia, and South Orange Councilwoman Stacey Jennings.

Sen. John Edwards’ full team in the 14th is made up of Sen. President (and former Gov.) Richard Codey, his fellow 14th district legislators, Assemblyman (and West Orange Mayor) John McKeon and Assemblyman Mila Jasey; and Elaine Britcher of Morris Plains.